International research collaboration is reliant on high speed connections across multiple local, national and international networks. This growing complexity makes being able to pinpoint and eliminate problems much more difficult, due to the number of dissimilar networks involved. perfSONAR MDM is a unique monitoring tool that allows network performance monitoring across the board, enabling operators to evaluate problems which span multiple domains and geographical boundaries. This creates a network "community" where problems can be rapidly identified and the reliable and uninterrupted connections can be maintained to enable successful collaborate between researchers.

The latest software bundle, perfSONAR MDM 3.1 has been significantly improved. This release includes a Home Lookup Service allowing communication with the Global Lookup Service enabling automatic detection of available updates. A number of enhancements to the web administration interface allow improved configuration and testing of the deployed software. The new version of the perfSONAR user interface also brings various new features improving the readability and usability of the data. The whole release is available through repositories, easing the downloading and updating of the software suite.

Dai Davies, General Manager, DANTE stated: "One of the key drivers of modern research is enabling collaboration through virtual research communities, independent of geography. Scientists need to be able to collaborate with their peers around the world, at high speed and in real-time without complications of working across multiple networks and boundaries. The perfSONAR MDM service reduces issues by being capable of tackling issues wherever they occur and enabling fast data transfer and efficient research networking."